Learning guides
Understand readings and expressions, then put them into practice with review and mock tests.
道路 and 歩道: a road and its pedestrian portion
Compare a road with the sidewalks beside it, reading sidewalk width, walking routes, and the target of a vehicle restriction.
歩道橋 and 横断歩道: an overpass and a street-level crossing
Compare viewing a road from an overpass with waiting before a crosswalk, then identify which crossing route was actually used.
入口 and 玄関: a facility entrance and a building’s entry area
Compare entrances to a parking area and park with fixtures in a building’s entry area, without treating every entrance as a foyer.
会場 and 会館: an event venue and a hall building
Compare a park serving as a venue with a hall used for an event, distinguishing a building visit from using it as the event location.
屋根 and 屋上: the roof covering and the rooftop area
Compare roof repairs with pots placed on a rooftop, without treating putting the pots back as changing the entire rooftop structure.
地面 and 床: the ground surface and a constructed floor
Compare a puddle forming on the ground with wiping a terrace floor, without limiting ground to soil or floors to indoor rooms.
駐車場 and 駐輪場: parking a car and leaving a bicycle
Compare a car park with a bicycle parking area, keeping one facility’s bicycle-only notice separate from rules for every facility.
階段 and 段差: a staircase and a difference in surface height
Compare stairs between floors with a small entrance step, without turning every height difference into a long staircase.
席 and 場所: a seat and a place for luggage or meeting
Compare a window seat with space for luggage and a meeting point, without translating every 場所 as a seat.
館内 and 構内: inside a building and within facility grounds
Compare an indoor rest area with a bus stop on university grounds, allowing the grounds to include places outside buildings.
日付 and 曜日: calendar dates and days of the week
Compare a date on a form with a meeting’s day of the week, checking which information is actually supplied by a month and day.
所要時間 and 待ち時間: required time and time spent waiting
Compare journey time with a wait at a counter, checking included intervals before adding them to a total.
時期 and 時点: a period and a point used to assess a state
Compare a season for moving with seat availability at a stated time, keeping an assessment tied to its reference point.
午前 and 午後: the noon boundary and nighttime hours
Compare eleven a.m. with one p.m., and read 午前一時 without mistaking an a.m. clock label for daylight.
前日 and 前夜: the preceding day and the night before
Compare preparing on the day before a presentation with checking a script the night before, preserving the narrower nighttime interval.
当日 and 即日: an event date and same-day processing
Compare collection on a performance date with same-day issuing after an application, separating timing from instant or free service.
後日 and 別の日: a later day and a different day
Compare later notification with a photograph taken on another date, distinguishing a change of date from a specified later time.
隔週 and 毎週: alternate weeks and every week
Compare alternate-week meetings with weekly practice, separating the repeating week pattern from sessions per week and exact dates.
初め and 最初: an opening period and the first item
Compare the beginning of a month with the first arriving customer, and distinguish reading the first page from a first-ever experience.
最後 and 終わり: the last item and the end of an activity
Compare the last person in an order with the end of a meeting, keeping a final presentation separate from the whole event’s ending.
先に and 先ほど: acting first and an event a short time ago
Compare a request to put luggage down first with a recent phone call, keeping action order separate from past timing.
以前 and 以来: an earlier time and a pattern since a reference
Compare a former workplace with annual visits since graduation, distinguishing a continuing pattern from uninterrupted activity.
後で and 三時間後: later versus a measured interval
Compare a later phone call with an arrival three hours after departure, identifying the starting point of the interval.
途中 and 半ば: partway through and around the middle
Compare a ringing phone during work with a question midway through a talk, without converting 途中 into an exact halfway point.
同時 and 一緒: coinciding in time and doing something together
Compare simultaneous starts at two venues with traveling together, keeping the shared departure separate from arrival times.
前もって and 早めに: advance preparation and acting early
Compare notifying someone before a visit with leaving early, separating preparation for a later need from an earlier time.
続けて and 続いて: continuing an action and the next item
Compare consecutive performances with a question period after a presentation, checking which action continues and what comes next.
連続 and 継続: consecutive events and maintaining an activity
Compare three consecutive bell rings with months of practice, distinguishing the repeated unit from an uninterrupted physical action.
中断 and 中止: an interruption and stopping an activity
Compare interrupted work with a decision to stop it, keeping the interruption separate from a confirmed restart time.
中断 and 休憩: interrupting work and taking a rest break
Compare stopping work because of a document error with resting between tasks, without treating every interruption as rest.